Evaluation of Antimicrobial Studies of Traditional Medicine

Abstract

Synthetic drugs, which are having serious side effects, are cytotoxic to human beings. Moreover, bacteria slowly become resistant against antibiotics. In order to overcome these problems, scientists are continuing to search for antibacterial and novel principles from plants. Zanthoxylum limonella has been popularly used in traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of dental caries, cardiac, respiratory diseases and stomach problems. The present study was therefore focused on finding out the medicinal properties of the bark of Z. limonella tested against some selected bacteria using disc-diffusion method at the concentration of 100, 200 and 300 mg/ml. The methanol and water extracts of the bark exhibited effective antibacterial activity against S. aureus at a concentration of 300 mg/ml compared to the other extracts. Phytochemcial screening results also support the present findings and proved the traditional usage of this plant by tribal healers in the Kolli hills of Tamil Nadu.